MINNEAPOLIS -- When the polls opened for fans to vote for the four Twins players in the Starters Election for the 2019 All-Star Game in Cleveland, players and staff around the Twins' clubhouse all sported "Bomba Ballot" stickers, while Marwin Gonzalez took to the field during batting practice sandwiched between two large "Bomba Ballot" emblems several feet in diameter.

C.J. Cron, Jorge Polanco, Nelson Cruz and Eddie Rosario spent part of their Wednesday afternoon meeting with members of the Minneapolis Police Department's bomb squad in an effort to rally the vote, and all have made their cases on the field throughout the season. With a big game to prepare for against Charlie Morton and the Rays, they're at the point now where their fate just rests in the hands of the voters.

"It's obviously very humbling just to be in the conversation," Cron said. "It's crazy to even think about that so many people are logging into their tablets, iPhones, whatever, and just clicking my name. I could never ask for anything more. Whether or not I make it, I'm just super humbled and honored to be in the process."

"I'm excited about it," Polanco said. "I'm really excited. I won't keep an eye on [the votes] because we've got a game to play and we've got to be ready to win tonight."

As announced by the Twins on Tuesday, fans that cast ballots for the Twins at twinsbaseball.com/vote will be eligible to purchase up to six Ballpark Access tickets at $11 apiece for any Monday-Thursday home games in August and will also be entered in a sweepstakes for a trip for two to the All-Star Game at Progressive Field.

All four of the Twins' candidates face stiff competition against players from much larger markets with more expansive voting blocs, but Cron felt that the Twins' relative success at the polls in the Primary round of voting despite that disadvantage was a testament to the increased national exposure from the torrid performance by the team as a whole in the first half.

"I think this kind of stuff with the All-Stars and all these awards come when you win, when you're a winning ballclub, these kinds of things kind of take care of themselves," Cron said. "That's my mentality. Do what we can on the field, and these things will always sort themselves out."

"There’s not always a guarantee that you’re going to get the respect or recognition that you deserve, and it’s great to see that four of our guys are getting that and getting the opportunity to be voted in as guys that are going to start an All-Star Game," manager Rocco Baldelli said. "It’s a great honor, and I think we have the guys that have earned it and it’s great to be sitting here kind of watching it happen before our eyes."

The 2019 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard will be played on Tuesday, July 9, at Progressive Field in Cleveland. It will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 180 countries. FOX Deportes will provide Spanish-language coverage in the United States, while ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage. MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. During the game, fans may visit MLB.com and the 30 club sites to submit their choices for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @MLB and @AllStarGame on social media.

Injury updates

• Byron Buxton (right wrist contusion) had another successful hitting session on Wednesday, his second consecutive day taking swings. Baldelli said the Twins hope to get Buxton on the field to hit one more time on Thursday and give the center fielder one more day of testing before progressing him to the next step.

• Max Kepler (right elbow contusion) said that the pain in his right elbow had improved overnight after he was removed from Tuesday night's game following a hit by pitch in the fifth inning. Though the elbow was fluid-filled and visibly swollen, Kepler said he was lucky that the pitch missed the bone and isn't concerned about his recovery.

"It hurt, but I think it was more just a shock, and I got some ice on it," Kepler said. "It was good."

In fact, Kepler made his return just one day later, as he played the field in the eighth inning of the Twins' 6-4 victory over the Rays on Wednesday, though he didn't record an at-bat.